The Godfather - 1972

 Restoration done in 2007.

A good gangster movie, quite famous and rightly so. And the reason why American thinks that Sicilian accent is Italian accent, I guess.

The plot in details. 

On the day of his daughter’s wedding, Don Vito Corleone receives the visit of a man called Bonasera. Two guys tried to rape his daughter without success, then beat her up instead, and the law let them free, sentence suspended, so he asks for Corleone to kill them, for money. Corleone finds that disrespectful, and promises only to hurt them like they hurt her, in exchange for a favour owed. 

Many others with troubles ask for the Godfather’s help. Singer Johnny Fontane sings for the bride.  The Godfather helped his career because Johnny is his godson.

Michael tells his girl Kay about his father’s methods, that he doesn’t share. 

Johnny asks again for help, because he wants to act in a movie that would launch his career better than before, and Vito sends his adoptive son Tom to handle it. On one thing Johnny was right, because this producer Woltz (or whatever he was) thinks so too, he thinks this movie part is perfect for Johnny and it’ll make him a star, but since he hates Johnny he stubbornly refuses, even after knowing that Tom comes at Corleone’s request. Next thing he knows, Woltz wakes up next to the severed head of his prized horse worth thousands of dollars.

Up until now, the Corleone family had unions and gambling, never had anything to do with drugs.

Narcotics is a big business that will make the other families powerful, but Vito wants nothing to do with it because it’s too serious and dangerous. So he tells no to this Mr Sollozzo, already working with the Tattaglia family. 

Vito sends his man Luca to find out more about them, but they kill him. Vito is shot on the street in fronf of his second son Fredo.

Michael finds out from a newspaper and goes home.

Sollozzo abducts Tom but lets him go after explaining that Sonny and the other Corleone kids need to see reason, that it is in their best interest to agree to his terms.

In a time like this, Michael goes home to be with his family. Everyone tries to leave him out of all the dirty business, since he’s the youngest, a decorated soldier and totally clean.

After a dinner with his girlfriend, he finds the hospital empty, absolutely nobody to protect his father, everyone was sent away so he has a nurse help him change his father’s room.

Michael is then almost arrested by the police captain, clearly bought by the rivals, but Tom arrives to free him, and with men as support. After that, “Sonny got mad” and they “hit” Bruno Tattaglia (I guess it means they shot him). Michael wants to be involved now, because he knows this Sollozzo will try again until Vito is dead. Michael wants to agree to a requested meeting, but planning it with the idea to shoot both Sollozzo and the captain. They plant a gun where they think the meeting will be held (some spy told them). 

Sollozzo speaks Italian but Michael doesn’t, not easily, so they go back to Englilsh.

Michael takes the gun hidden in the bathroom, goes back to the table and indeed shoots them both dead. He goes away, disappears.

The papers write about it, about a feud and the death of a corrupted cop. Violent acts continue here and there for three months, I think. Vito goes back home but is stuck to a bed still.

Sonny learns that his sister Connie was hit by her husband so he beats him up. After a fight, the guy Carlo once again beats her up, even though she’s pregnant. 

Michael is hiding in Sicily, and when he sees Apollonia Vitelli, he forgets all about his girlfriend Kay. He courts her with respect to the family and then marries her.

Sonny gets ambushed and killed while he was driving to see Connie, because she had called him to tell him about the beating.

Vito wants no vengeance, but a meeting with the five families to stop the war.

Michael is told of Santino’s death, and he wants to go away but he’s betrayed and his car blows up with just Apollonia at the wheel (why was the wheel on the right side???).

Vito makes a deal of peace with the family. Michael comes back and now it’s him the new head of the family. He wants to take the casino business in Las Vegas, and wants Johnny to be there a few times a year to attract gamblers. He wants to buy the hotel and casino from a guy, Moe Green, who has no intention of selling. Mike’s older brother Fredo worked for him, just a puppet.

Michael went back to Kay, they’re now married with a son, Anthony. Vito dies while playing with the child.

Michael is godfather to Connie and Carlo’s baby. While Michael is at the baptism, lots of people are killed. The other heads of the families that wanted to get rid of him. He also deals with Sal, who betrayed him for money, and also Carlo, because years ago he set the trap for Sonny. 

He says he won’t kill his brother-in-law, he just wants to send him to Vegas, out of the family business, to get his confession. Then he has him killed. Connie yells at Michael and spits in his face. Michael denies the accusation to his wife Kay.

Last scene, Clemenza and another man kiss his hand and call him Don Corleone.

ITA il padrino

Vito - Marlon Brando

Michael - Al Pacino

Sonny - James Caan

Tom - Robert Duvall

Clemenza - Richard Castellano

Kay - Diane Keaton

Connie - Talia Shire